Verstappen and Norris endure issues as Mercedes cruise in red-flagged FP1

Kimi Antonelli topped the first free practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix, getting the better of George Russell and Oscar Piastri under the scorching sun at the Red Bull Ring.

The intense heat, hovering around 31 degrees celsius, led to a challenging first hour of running at the Red Bull Ring.

Lando Norris and both Red Bull drivers experienced issues to start the session. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar eventually made their way out on track after 20 and 30 minutes, respectively, finishing fourth and P12.

The McLaren driver, however, was consigned to 45 minutes on the sidelines as the papaya team investigated a suspected hydraulic leak on his MCL40. He would slot in seventh on the timing board.

Expected to run the Woking squad's own iteration of the so-called 'Macarena' wing, it was ultimately decided that the Briton would not experiment with it on his car.

Six rookie drivers took part in the session, with Dino Beganovic leading that cohort in ninth, from Ayumu Iwasa in P15 and Paul Aron in P17.

Ryo Hirakawa, in for Esteban Ocon, had a scary incident in the pit lane, hitting a Haas mechanic when he overshot his pit box. Thankfully, his crew member was fine.

The FIA continued to test using different rear light colours to indicate different battery modes, following on from Canada and Barcelona. Those experiments will continue in FP2, with a decision on whether to use them anticipated to be made overnight.

Sergio Perez brought out a late red flag when his Cadillac ground to a halt at the inside of Turn 3. The cause is not initially known.

Check out the full report from FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix below!

Opening 30 minutes

The heat of the Austrian sun, blazing down on the F1 paddock in Spielberg, got to the McLaren of Norris and the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Hadjar immediately as FP1 got underway.

The reigning F1 drivers' champion was pulled from the cockpit of his MCL40 just before the green light, with the Woking-based team removing the floor from his car.

The team confirmed it was investigating a hydraulic leak, yet another reliability issue that has plagued Norris' season so far.

Red Bull, on the other hand, was dealing with issues on both RB22s. Hadjar's car was seen on jacks with fluid being drained from the power unit, whilst Verstappen twice attempted to get on track to no avail.

The four-time F1 drivers' champion was wheeled back to his garage on both occasions, saying, "Every time I release the clutch, I get anti-stall" at the first occurrence.

Eventually emerging on circuit after a 20-minute delay, the Dutchman quickly got up to speed, going third fastest, behind the Mercedes pair of Antonelli and Russell.

Still, he was nonetheless not best pleased with his hot, gripless Pirellis, lamenting a lack of feeling as track temperatures soared to 51 degrees celsius. 

Before that, Haas rookie Hirakawa had a scary incident in the pit lane, making "very slight contact" with a mechanic after overshooting his pit box, according to the American team.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was not having much joy either, complaining of a "real struggle" in his SF-26. The 106-time grand prix winner sat sixth at the time, behind Beganovic, who was the leading rookie, in Charles Leclerc's Ferrari.

Second half

Antonelli and Russell brought the field into the 1:07s, with the former almost 1.1 seconds clear of Verstappen in third.

Perez endured his latest bodywork-related setback, with his Cadillac needing work in the garage after damage was sustained on circuit.

Hadjar finally emerged from the pit lane to get his weekend at the Red Bull Ring up and running, whilst Arvid Lindblad impressively pulled his Racing Bulls car into the top three. Although the 18-year-old did set his time much later than Verstappen.

Laurent Mekies confirmed on broadcast that the French driver required a power unit change, whilst his team-mate had encountered some software glitches that initially curtailed his running.

Lindblad's foray into the top three did not last long, with Piastri, Verstappen and Hamilton displacing him in short order, but the Mercedes pair out front looked just out of grasp.

The field settled into longer runs on medium compound tyres, meaning little change at the sharp end of the pecking order, apart from Norris, who slotted into seventh, ahead of Franco Colapinto, who is looking to continue his strong form this weekend.

Perez lost power at the inside of Turn 3 in the dying moments of the session, prematurely ending the hour of running and denying the field the opportunity to do practice starts.

Jak Crawford, though down in P20, will be happy with his hour of running, getting the better of Fernando Alonso, who ended FP1 P22 and last in the other Aston Martin.